Annie Duncan and Donna Soler run Middlemarch Lodge and love showing guests around their Central Otago paradise
We just love the air and the mountains here. Having lived in cities all our lives, all the open space and the big sky of the area are intoxicating. The people here are much more engaged with you and more supportive. When Annie broke her shoulder recently people cooked for us, helped us make beds and even came by and mowed our lawns. That’s how they do things here. There is something about Otago.
![Donna Soler (left) and Annie Duncan host travellers from all over the world at Middlemarch Lodge. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/KCTGVVFKWBGKDEQSHABRKBR4JU.jpg?auth=1dde9069f2dac6d9d463ebc843c4f111a1244cdd9cd320fe3a0230735f8ec32c&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
We moved here 18 months ago to retire, but we’ve never been so busy! We have both joined local organisations. It is understood when you live in a small community that you get involved and that you volunteer, and we’re happy to do that.
When it comes to what makes Middlemarch Lodge so special, it’s two things - the location and us. The Strath Taieri is a unique area dominated by schist tors and the long valley between the mountains through which the Taieri River flows.